Al Jazeera :
The United States Senate has confirmed Antony Blinken to be the next US secretary of state, the nation’s top diplomat.
Blinken’s confirmation by a vote of 78-22 signals broad political support for President Joe Biden’s promise of an American foreign policy focused on diplomacy and alliances.
“Mr Blinken has a long and distinguished history when it comes to statecraft and foreign relations matters,” said Senator James Risch, a leading Republican on foreign affairs who backed Blinken’s confirmation.
Biden’s new tone is a sharp turn away from former President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy which had irritated Washington’s allies in Europe, strained contacts within NATO and brought the US-China relationship to a new low.
In his confirmation hearing, Blinken said the new Biden administration would end US military support for the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen and seek a return to an Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration.
“We will revitalise American diplomacy to deal with and take on the most pressing challenges of our time,” Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 19.
“American leadership still matters,” Blinken said, describing the world as one defined by “rising nationalism, receding democracy, growing rivalry from China and Russia, and other authoritarian states”.
The United States Senate has confirmed Antony Blinken to be the next US secretary of state, the nation’s top diplomat.
Blinken’s confirmation by a vote of 78-22 signals broad political support for President Joe Biden’s promise of an American foreign policy focused on diplomacy and alliances.
“Mr Blinken has a long and distinguished history when it comes to statecraft and foreign relations matters,” said Senator James Risch, a leading Republican on foreign affairs who backed Blinken’s confirmation.
Biden’s new tone is a sharp turn away from former President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy which had irritated Washington’s allies in Europe, strained contacts within NATO and brought the US-China relationship to a new low.
In his confirmation hearing, Blinken said the new Biden administration would end US military support for the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen and seek a return to an Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration.
“We will revitalise American diplomacy to deal with and take on the most pressing challenges of our time,” Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 19.
“American leadership still matters,” Blinken said, describing the world as one defined by “rising nationalism, receding democracy, growing rivalry from China and Russia, and other authoritarian states”.
